Giro d'Italia 2004 Istria

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14th Stage: Trieste (I) - Pula (HR)

The 14th stage of the 87th Giro is 175 kilometres long. The start is scheduled for 12.55 p.m. from Triestewhere individual
time trial will be held the day before. Riders will enter Slovenia after 7.8 km at the border crossing Hosp, and they will
be riding through Slovenia for precisely 32 kilometres after which they will reach the border crossing Požane. The first Croatian
town the Giro will visit will be Buzet at 48.2 kilometres from the start of the stage. Right after Buzet, riders will
face what most people consider the most difficult section of the stage, the 15-kilometer climb to Kovačić. After the first
5 kilometres of the climb at the altitude of 227 meters, the riders will face the only hilly finish of the stage in Svi Sveti.
This section of the climb has an average grade of 5.3 percent, and up to 8.3 percent in some other parts. The arrival of the
riders to the beginning of the climb is expected between 2.05 and 2.15 p.m. After Kovačić, the riders will descend
to Cerovlje and Pazin.

The passing finish in Pazin will be right in front of the Spomen Dom (Memorial Hall) in the town centre. The arrival
of the riders to the passing finish is expected between 2.45 and 3.00 p.m. depending on the average speed. It will
mark 96 kilometres to the finish. From Pazin, the pink caravan will continue to Tinjan which will be a fixed refreshment point
when team members pass food and beverages to the riders. The next part of the stage takes them to Baderna. After Baderna,
the second demanding section of the 14th stage begins - the 2.5 kilometres long climb to Lim at the altitude of around 190
metres. According to some estimates this should be the beginning of the live TV broadcast for RAI, Eurosport, and
other TV stations.

The third Istrian town the riders will pass through that day will be Rovinj, between 3.35 and 3.50 p.m. Before
their arrival to Pula the riders will pass through Bale, near Vodnjan, through Fažana near the little church and reaching
Pula via the Fažanska Road. In Pula, where the finish will be set on the Riva, riders will pass along Starih Statuta Street
three times. Once they pass the finish level the riders will ride two times around Pula, each round 6.5 km long.
After passing the Riva, the riders will go by Flaciusova, Dobrilina, Laginjina, Giardini and Istarska Street, then Flavijevska
Street in front of the Amphitheatre (Arena), reaching the Prekomorskih Brigada Road (the ring road) via the 43th Istarske
Divizije Street. Down Tršćanska Street they will ride again towards the Square on the Bridge and the Riva. The first arrival
of the riders on the Riva is expected between 4.45 and 5.10 p.m. and the final finish of the stage between 5.05
and 15.30 p.m. depending on the average speed. The organizers estimate the average speed of this stage will be between
38 and 42 km per hour.

15th Stage: Poreč (HR) – San Vendemiano (I)

The 15th and the longest stage of this
year's edition with its 234 kilometres will be held on Monday, 24th May. Although it is the longest one, this stage is not
too demanding because it is only lowland.
The start of the stage is scheduled for 11.25 a.m. from the large parking lot at the centre of Poreč entrance
and the riders will pass through the town centre in a closed race, riding along Dekumanova and Cardo Maximus Streets departing
Poreč through the Riva. The closed race through the Poreč centre will be a great attraction for the spectators. After two
kilometres the flying start will be marked and riders will head off to north-western Istria.
After Veli Maj, the peloton will set out to Tar, pass through Novigrad, Lovrečica, Umag, Bašanija, and
Volparija and then leaving Croatia crossing the Plovanija boarder. The Croatian section of this stage will be 53.1 kilometre
long. It is expected that the riders will finish it in around one hour and 20 minutes. After this section they will ride 22
more kilometres in Slovenia with the passing finish hosted in Portorož. The arrival in San Vendemiano, birthplace of the Juventus
football player Alessandro Del Piero, is expected between 4.50 and 5.30 p.m. Stages in Istria will be some kind of the cycling “lull before the storm” because, after their stay in Croatia, cyclists
will head towards the Dolomites and the Alps where the final rank of the race before the finish in Milan will be made.

14. etape (Trst - Pula, 175 km):

15. etape-Porec/Parenzo - San Vendemiano 234 km

1.Petacchi
Alessandro
2. MC Ewen
3. Pollak Olaf
4. Nauduzs Andris

In its 87th edition, Giro d'Italia will be visiting Croatiaor, to be more precise
- Istria, twice for two days. On Sunday 23 May,Pula will host the finish of the 14th stage 166 kilometers long
starting in Triesteand the next day Poreč will host the start of the 15th stage finishing in San Vendemiano near Treviso.
The longtime dream of Croatian, and especially Istrian enthusiasts of this sport will come true in May 2004. For a long time,
there were talks in the Istrian cycling circles about how nice it would be if the popular Giroalong with Tour de
France and the Spanish Vuelta one of the three biggest cycling manifestations in the world, visited these areas.
Eddy Merckx himself, one of the greatest cyclists of all times and the five-time winner of Tour de France, on the occasion
of his stay in Istria nine years ago, stated that it would be “great if some big race would be organized here, because the
landscape is gorgeous”.
After the first unofficial contacts at the end of the 1990s, the decisive step was made last year by the Istrian County and
its Tourist Community whose representatives met the director of Giro Mr. Carmine Castellano in May 2003 in the little town
of San Dona' di Piave. Mr. Castellano immediately suggested that the idea of coming to Istria was acceptable and even
realizable as soon as the next edition of Giro, because one stage would be held in Trieste. Mr. Castellano afterwards twice
visited the routes of the stages as well as Pula and Poreč, after which he made his decision.
The official confirmation arrived on 8 November 2003 when the Milan’s Auditorium hosted the official presentation of the route
of the 87th edition of Giro d'Italia.

The cycling race Giro d'Italia in its 87th edition for the third
time in the history starts in Genua on 8 May with a prologue time trial, with the first stage of the race starting the next
day, on 9 May. After 20 stages and 3.435 kilometers, Milan traditionally hosts the last stage on 30 May.
According to the present route as part of the 14th stage, on Sunday 23 May , the cyclists will start in Trieste, pass
through Slovenia, where one of the passing finishes will be posted, enter Croatia at the border passage Požane.After
that, they will pass through Buzet, Cerovlje, Pazin, Baderna, Limski kanal, Sošiće, Rovinj, Bale, Vodnjan, Fažana and finally
reach Pula where they will ride two 6,9 kilometer circles in the very centre of the town before arriving to the finish
on the Riva, situated right next to the Amphitheatre.15th Stage: Poreč (HR) – San Vendemiano (I)
As a part of the 15th stage starting on Monday 24 May from Poreč , cyclists will ride through Tar, Novigrad and
Umag, and then proceed through Slovenia and Italy to the Veneto Region. A special charm of the start of this stage will
be the cyclists passing in a closed ride through the strictest centre of Poreč, or the Dekumanova and Cardo Maximus Streets,
where they will leave the town through the Riva.
Stages in Istria will be some kind of the cycling “lull before the storm” because, after their stay in Croatia, cyclists will
head towards the Dolomites and the Alps where the final rank of the race before the finish in Milan will be made.

Ready to feel some adrenaline?
Try something fun and new – visit the best adventure park in Istria – Glavani Park. All those who are brave enough, (or feel
like they want to be brave ), regardless of their age, will enjoy themselves swinging about amongst the trees.